§ 14-9a — Criminal background checks for applicants for employment with department and certain department employees. Reassignment of employee with disqualifying criminal offense or condition.

(a) The Departments of Motor Vehicles and Administrative Services shall, subject to the provisions of section 31-51i, require each external applicant for a position of employment with the Department of Motor Vehicles (1) to state whether the applicant has ever been convicted of a crime, to state whether criminal charges are pending against the applicant at the time of the application and, if so, to identify the charges and court in which they are pending, and (2) if offered employment with the Department of Motor Vehicles, to be fingerprinted and to submit to state and national criminal history records checks. The criminal history records checks required by this section shall be in accordance with section 29-17a. (b) The Department of Motor Vehicles, subject to the provisions of section 31-51i and the standards set forth in 6 CFR Section 37.45, shall require each employee who is involved in the manufacture or production of drivers' licenses or identity cards or who has the ability to affect the identity information that appears on a driver's license or an identity card to submit to a background check that includes name-based and fingerprint-based criminal history records checks of federal and state repository records. Upon receipt of the criminal history record of any such employee, the department shall evaluate such record by applying the criteria set forth in 6 CFR Section 37.45(b)(1). The department shall not employ any such employee with a disqualifying criminal offense, as set forth in 6 CFR Section 37.45(b)(1)(i) or 37.45(b)(1)(ii), in a position described in this subsection, and shall not employ any such employee with a disqualifying condition, as set forth in 6 CFR Section 37.45(b)(1)(iii) or 37.45(b)(1)(iv), in such a position, until such condition is no longer applicable. The department shall reassign any such person to a different position in the department. (c) In accordance with 49 CFR 384.228 and subject to the provisions of section 31-51i , the Department of Motor Vehicles shall require any person who is to be employed as a knowledge or skills test examiner for commercial driver's license applicants to submit to a nation-wide criminal background check prior to the department certifying such person to administer any such test. Each such background check shall include name-based and fingerprint-based criminal history records checks of federal and state repository records. The department shall maintain a record of the results of such criminal background checks and shall not certify any examiner to administer commercial driver's license tests who: (1) Was convicted of a felony within the past ten years; or (2) was convicted of any crime involving fraudulent activities.

Legislative History

(P.A. 07-167, S. 13; P.A. 10-110, S. 26; P.A. 13-271, S. 6; P.A. 23-204, S. 102.) History: P.A. 10-110 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a) and added Subsec. (b) re background check of employees involved in manufacture or production of licenses or identity cards and reassignment of employee with disqualifying criminal offense or condition; P.A. 13-271 added Subsec. (c) re background check of persons to be employed as knowledge or skills test examiners for commercial driver's license applicants; P.A. 23-204 amended Subsec. (a) to add reference to Department of Administrative Services and changed existing references from “department” to “Department of Motor Vehicles”, effective June 12, 2023.